A Wrinkle in Time
by Opinionated Asmodeus
Summary: Koenma receives a very strange request from a girl of supposed legend. It turns out that she's Yuusuke cousin, and she is definitely more than what she seems.
1. Stuff Made of Legends

**Note:** There aren't many Rurouni Kenshin and Inu-Yasha crossover stories, and I love pairing sweet-natured Kagome with Battousai!Kenshin. Toss in some Yuu Yuu Hakusho and we have ourselves a fine mix. I know I should be working on Trial by Error, and I am, but this just wouldn't leave me alone.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha, Rurouni Kenshin or Yuu Yuu Hakusho. I do not make a profit off of this and have no intention to do so.

**Summary: **Koenma receives a very strange request from a girl of supposed legend. It turns out that she's Yuusuke cousin, and she is definitely more than what she seems.

**01: **_Stuff Made of Legends_

_Reikai - 1997_

Koenma gave the rather plain looking girl standing in front of his desk a narrow-eyed stare, his pacifier hiding his scowl from sight as he tried to connect this girl to the legends he had often heard of. His own father had described a _Kitsune_ woman of ethereal beauty, with long blue-black hair, stunning and expressive ocean blue eyes, and exotic indigo stripes on her cheeks and wrists. There was also something about a crescent moon on her forehead, but that was something he currently could not recall. This girl was nothing like the one his father had described, but her name was the very same. Things did not add up, at all, and he was about to dismiss the smiling girl when one of his most problematic Reikai Detective teams entered his office. The door swung open with such a force, a testament to Urameshi Yuusuke's foul mood, that the doorknob buried into the wall. Koenma directed his scowl at the surly mazoku and outright glared.

"I have fucking had it with the lame ass missions you've been sending us on, twerp!" Yuusuke shouted as he approached the desk, completely oblivious to the girl standing there. He slammed his palms against the top of the desk and leaned down to glare at Koenma, unaware that the rest of his team had practically frozen just inside the doorway. They hadn't known that Koenma was entertaining someone, not that something like that mattered to Yuusuke.

Koenma's gaze slid to the girl and he was shocked to see that she was **amused**, a hand raised to cover her mouth as her plain blue eyes twinkled. He didn't find the situation amusing, at all, and usually he would be quite annoyed with the brash mazoku, but the girl's reaction had thrown him for a proverbial loop. "Please pardon Yuusuke's **interruption** and his **uncouthness**. He should have already been aware that I was otherwise _engaged_."

The girl giggled and lowered her hand to reveal a radiant smile, her features no longer seeming plain. "There is no need to apologize, Koenma-sama. I find his **uncouthness** quite refreshing and very much like that of a _dear friend_ of mine." Even her tone was amused, and Yuusuke colored slightly at the unknown girl's words. She continued to smile, while the mazoku scowled and turned to get a good look at her.

There was a flash of recognition and all of the color drained from Yuusuke's face as he spluttered out, "K-K-Kagome?!"

Koenma leaned forward and watched as the girl silently nodded, the smile never leaving her face. The situation was developing into something quite _interesting_, especially since Yuusuke, who was now gaping like a fish, knew the person standing before his desk.

"It's good to see you too, _cousin_. If you don't mind, I would like to finish talking with Koenma-sama." Her tone was soft, full of innocence and sincere, her eyes large and pleading.

There was no way he could deny her request, and before he could even think to question why she was there, in Reikai, to talk with his boss, he gave a nod and turned around to leave. As he left Koenma's office he didn't even notice the soft nudge in his mind to forget that he had seen her. "C'mon guys, we'll bother the twerp another time."

Kuwabara obediently followed, and he too oddly forgot that he had seen a girl who claimed to be Urameshi's cousin, leaving only Kurama and Hiei behind. They were largely unaffected by whatever had worked on Yuusuke and Kuwabara, and they (more so Kurama than Hiei) glanced from the two detectives walking down the hall to the smiling girl (whom Hiei's gaze had never left) and Koenma.

"I trust you two would be more able to keep my secrets, especially from Yuusuke," she stated and her smiled lessened as a pained look entered her eyes. Whatever she had been going to say to Koenma, it wasn't for Yuusuke to hear. Kuwabara, for his propensity to blurt out things better left unknown, was also someone who did not need to hear this girl's request. _Kagome_ turned back to Koenma and bowed low, a sign of respect, as she uttered a soft, "_Gomen nasai_, Koenma-sama."

The toddler-like Prince of Reikai was rather confused at her sudden, and unnecessary, apology. He opened his mouth to negate the apology when _Kagome_ straightened out of her bow and held up a hand as a sign for him to wait. Wait indeed, for her appearance started to change, and once the change was complete he understood why she had apologized.

No longer was she the **plain** and **human** girl that had first entered his office. **That** had been a _glamour_ to conceal her true appearance, the one his father had described to him. She was indeed a _Kitsune_ of ethereal beauty, and with a firsthand view of his own he could see what had been left out of his father's explanation. She had **holy** powers, something entirely unheard of in a Pureblooded _Youkai_, and the crescent moon on her forehead had a little pink sphere connecting the points of the moon. "I am Higurashi Kagome, Koenma-sama, but the appearance you saw me enter in is also that of Higurashi Kagome. That was what I looked like four hundred and ninety-seven years ago."

Four hundred... **Four hundred and ninety-seven years ago?!** Koenma didn't have to look at the two remaining detectives to know that they were just as shocked as he was, though Hiei was an expert at hiding his expressions. It didn't make sense, especially since she was supposed to be Yuusuke's cousin. His human cousin. She wasn't lying though, and for some reason Koenma trusted her statements.

"I would love to explain everything to you, Koenma-sama, but I fear it would alter everything that has happened. In two days time **my** _past_ self, the human Higurashi Kagome, will be pulled down the Bone-Eater's Well and into _Sengoku Jidai_. When she returns two days later I will need for Youko-sama and Hiei-sama to accompany her back to _Sengoku Jidai_," Kagome said in a soft tone, her gaze lowered and fixated on a spot somewhere on Koenma's desk. "Outside of them accompanying her to _Sengoku Jidai_, I need you to promise me that _Reikai_ will not interfere with anything that may happen near the Higurashi Shrine over the next year."

Koenma let his gaze go from the legendary _Miko-Kitsune_ to his two detectives, a silent question in his gaze. The decision to send them wasn't something he could make on his own, especially since they were present for the request. "I will do my best to make sure that _Reikai_ does not interfere, but it is not up to me to send-"

"We'll do it," Hiei interrupted as his cardinal red gaze flicked to the male _Kitsune_. They had both been intrigued by the female, even before she had revealed her interesting mix of species and power. That she was Yuusuke's cousin had been the first point of interest. Now, with the chance to accompany her **past** self to an era before the realms had been split, on her own request, there was no way that he or the Fox were going to say no. There was more to what she was asking, as her request was an extremely complicated one that required a lot of them.

Kagome smiled her relief and let out the breath she was apparently holding. She turned to face Hiei and Kurama, her eyes brimming with utter happiness as she bowed deeply to them in gratitude. "_Arigatou gozaimasu_, Hiei-sama, Youko-sama." She turned back to Koenma, missing the stunned look on their faces, while the toddler-like Prince just blinked and stared at her. "I am needed at home now. Again, thank you for your help, Koenma-sama." She bowed once more, this one just as deep, and left the Detectives and their boss in shocked silence.

A glance into the hallway she was walking down permitted them a glance of her seeming to glide down the hall. Everyone, save for Hiei, blinked as three _Kitsune_ _Youkai_ in their smaller beast forms appeared out of nowhere. The largest of the foxes was silver, and had it not been for the fact that he had nine tails, each of them would have mistaken him for Youko Kurama. The other two foxes were of a similar size, and also male, the lighter red one bearing five tails whilst the darker red one had only a single tail. The foxes all pressed in close to the _Miko-Kitsune_, who adopted her own beast form that was as black as a moonless night and four-tailed, the silver and dark red foxes leading while the light red one walked slightly behind the female.

When they disappeared around the corner Koenma turned to find that Hiei had vanished and Kurama was frowning. "I trust you and Hiei will be prepared to go to _Sengoku Jidai_ in four days." He watched as Kurama absentmindedly nodded then left before sighing to himself. Pulling out some stationary, he started writing out orders that would sent out across Reikai. He also needed to come up with a plan to keep Yuusuke and Kuwabara preoccupied. After several minutes of careful wording, he read the missive once and then again to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything. "Ogre!" Koenma all but bellowed, and his faithful blue assistant nervously appeared in the doorway. "I need this copied and delivered to everyone in Reikai and everyone stationed in Tokyo. After you're done, send Botan to fetch Yuusuke and Kuwabara."

Jorge quickly came to the desk and picked up the missive that Koenma needed copied. He glanced at the length of it and internally started to panick. It was a long missive, and very detailed! Copying by hand, that many times would take a very long time! It'd take weeks, if not months to do it by himself! "Sir?"

"Ogre." Koenma stared at Jorge, his expression flat, before he pointed to a photocopier tucked away in the corner of his office. "I need to go see my father, so you better have this done by the end of the day." He got up from his desk as the blue ogre nodded dumbly and slowly walked over to the machine he had never realized was there before. With one last glance at Jorge, who was now fumbling with the settings on the photocopier, Koenma gave a small shake of his head before walking out of the office.


	2. Curiosity is Unbecoming

**02:** _Curiosity is Unbecoming_

_The Next Day..._

He had been curious, ever since that strangely humorous encounter with the enigmatic _Miko-Kitsune_ of legend last night. There was an old legend he recalled, but the details were quite fuzzy and any records that were supposedly kept in Reikai were gone. Koenma had been infuriated. Hiei seemed to not care. He, however, found it oddly coincidental that the information that could possibly help them to prepare was nowhere to be found. The timing of their dissapearance also coincided with _Kagome's_ request.

He wanted to believe that it was just misplaced documentation, but deep down he knew the documents had been removed from _Reikai's_ archives. They had been removed for this reason, perhaps. If he and Hiei were to go back with too much knowledge, then it would drastically alter whatever had already occurred historically. So in the end, Kurama supposed he was alright with the current lack of knowledge.

_"About time you figured it out, Fox."_ Hiei's telepathic voice cut in, though he wasn't at all surprised. Kurama glanced over to where he could sense the Apparition, hiding amongst the foliage of a tree close to the Higurashi Shrine. _"You should come up here and see this."_

The Silver _Kitsune_ frowned and glanced to the steps leading up to the Shrine. He had merely been passing by, in hopes to catch a glimpse of the _Miko_ they were supposed to be helping in three days. He could smell her, and was sure she had been through hours ago. Was she still in school? The _Kagome_ that had made the request hadn't mentioned anything about a school, nor had she been dressed to attend one.

_"The past Kagome is fifteen, fox."_ Of course. Hiei would have found that out. _"You really should come up here. Now."_ There was a slight change in Hiei's tone of voice, and he would have pegged it as Hiei sounding slightly annoyed.

Kurama turned to go up the steps and smiled when he saw that though there were a good number of steps to ascend, it was nothing like going to Genkai's. Thank Kami for small miracles. He ascended the steps, and by the time he reached the top it felt like he was strangely out of breath, as if he had climbed up and down Genkai's steps **twice**. He had to take a glance down the staircase, and it still looked the same as before.

"It's because I have a barrier in place over the Shrine," a soft and very familiar voice spoke from behind him. When did _she_ get here?

Kurama turned back around, his attention no longer on the seemingly innocent steps, to the most hilarious sight ever. The _Miko-Kitsune Kagome_ was standing in front of him, but what caught his attention first and foremost was a very _annoyed_ Hiei trapped in a transparent pink sphere that was carefully balanced on her index finger. Oh boy.

_"I really don't see what's so funny, Fox,"_ Hiei griped, sounding every bit as annoyed as he looked.

Kurama covered his mouth in an attempt to keep himself from laughing, but a chuckle did slip out. He averted his gaze to _Kagome_, a sweet smile on the female's face that worried him. He smothered his laughter and cleared his throat, feeling very much like a child that had gotten caught with their hand in the cookie jar. "_Konnichi wa_, Higurashi-sama." He bowed, very formally, and was quite surprised when _Kagome_ laughed.

With a flick of her finger Hiei was set down on the ground and released from the pink sphere of embarrassment. The Forbidden Child quickly darted away to a tree nearby, to save himself from further ridicule, leaving Kurama to fend for himself against this female full of surprises. "_Konnichi wa_, Youko-sama." Her smile no longer made him nervous, and he found himself following after her as she turned and walked over to the tree Hiei had previously been in.

Kurama's eyes widened in shock, then his expression quickly became one of amazement and awe, and he now understood why Hiei had ended up in the _Miko-Kitsune's_ strange sphere. "_Goshinboku..._" His pace slowed as he neared one of the legendary Tree of Ages, and he had a sudden thought. "The _well_ is made from the wood of this tree."

"_Hai~_. Even back then the well was **old**." _Kagome_ reached a hand out and touched _Goshinboku_ lovingly. As she did so the very air around them hummed and the sacred tree resonated. It was a beautiful thing, seeing such a rare experience for himself. "Hello again, old friend."

Kurama stilled completely as the sudden feeling that he was intruding upon something very **private** took over. They shouldn't have come nosing around, looking for something they weren't privy to. Alas, they had done so and thankfully _Kagome_ was here to prevent anything from going awry.

"Don't worry about today, Youko-sama," _Kagome_ murmured as she lifted her hand away from _Goshinboku_. She turned to him now and beamed at him brilliantly.

Kurama blinked, and wondered at how she knew what he was thinking. Could she have some sort of telepathic ability? And why did she keep calling him Youko? "Higurashi-sama?"

"Yes, Youko-sama?"

And so formally too. "Pardon me for asking, but why do you keep calling me Youko?"

"Ah..." She looked a little flustered for a moment, a pretty pink coloring her cheeks. "_Gomen ne_, Minamino-sama. When I look at you, I do not see your human body. I see your **true** body instead."

Her words were very carefully chosen, but he did not doubt them at all. She was a very, very powerful _Miko_, despite her _Youkai_ blood, and her current capabilities were unknown to them. All of what they had seen in _Reikai_ had been a mere fraction of what she could do. "I don't mind it when in private, Higurashi-sama, and there is no need to be so formal."

_Kagome_ continued smiling in that beautiful way of hers and she glanced over to where Hiei was, in a tree that wasn't a sacred Tree of Ages. "My _Nii-sama_ is very particular about certain things... I had etiquette literally beaten into me."

Well now. That certainly explained a lot, and he didn't even know who her older brother was. He was nearly afraid to ask.

"I have a gift for Hiei-sama and Youko-sama. It's a little early, but it won't hurt anything." Meaning it wouldn't change anything that was to come.

Hiei, of course, did not budge from his current tree, and it was likely he was going to stay up there until he was good and ready to come down. Kurama smiled a little apologetically and stepped closer to _Kagome_, curious as to what her gift would be. "A gift, Higurashi-sama?"

She nodded and bade Kurama to come closer still, a small and secretive smile lighting up her face. Once he did so, she reached up with her right hand and touched the center of his forehead with her index and middle fingers. Her left hand was placed over his heart and as she drew on her power everything whited out.

* * *

_Some time later..._

"_Baka_! You didn't tell me this would happen!"

Kurama scrunched his face up slightly as his ear twitched atop his head in response the sudden and very loud voice of a worried _Miko-Kitsune_. He opened his eyes and had to shut them immediately, as it seemed like the world had exploded in color. From that one brief glimpse, everything had been so bright and vivid that it hurt to see. **That** was strange.

"He **passed out**!"

Now he frowned. Had he really fainted from whatever _Kagome's_ gift had been? That was certainly unexpected, and likely to worry both Hiei and the kind woman. "Did Hiei attack you, Higurashi-sama?" His voice sounded a bit off, but it was also very familiar and like the voice of his true body. _That_ was puzzling. Kurama opened his eyes again, after mentally preparing himself for the onslaught of color, and he found himself staring up a wonderfully done mural of the sky on a ceiling. Where was he?

"Youko-sama! You're awake!" She popped into his line of sight, relief etched into her face now and a smile already spreading across her lips. Her lips twitched very slightly before she was fully smiling and her gaze flicked to something he couldn't see at the moment. "Hiei-sama is...preoccupied."

Kurama sat up and turned his gaze in _that_ direction, only to be met with the extremely familiar and highly hilarious sight of Hiei floating in a pink sphere. The Forbidden Child looked absolutely pissed, and at the same time relieved, to once again be caught in a pink bubble that he had no way of escaping. He was very sure that the relief was only because _he_ had woken back up. "I'll say."

"I am sorry, Hiei-sama. I didn't know it would make him **pass out**, but I couldn't have you trying to kill me over that." _Kagome_ waved her hand at the Forbidden Child and he was set down onto a highly polished wooden floor, the sphere disappearing from around him. The _Miko-Kitsune_ looked over to a fox, that he hadn't noticed or sensed at all, as she spoke and **glared** at the creature as though it were at fault for him passing out.

Kurama recognized the fox to be the nine-tailed silver male that she seemed to be mated to, if his guess was correct, which had appeared with two other _Kitsune Youkai_ as she had left Koenma's office. The fox wasn't paying her any mind, his amber gaze locked onto **him** instead. Kurama blinked, both of his ears twitching now and successfully distracting him from the fox. What the...? He reached up, vaguely noting the familiar claws on his fingers, and felt the very distinct _Kitsune_ ears on top of his head.

_"Yes, Fox. __**She**__ sped up the process you would have undergone to attain your Youkai body." _Hiei, wary of _Kagome_ and her damnable pink spheres, took up to leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the room.

"I do need to give you **your** gift too, Hiei-sama," _Kagome_ uttered softly.

"Hn." Hiei did not budge a centimeter.

Kurama glanced from _Kagome_ to Hiei, the Forbidden Child outright glaring at the _Miko-Kitsune_ as though she had severely offended him. "Hiei." The Forbidden Child stiffened then gave Kurama a sullen look before he fixed an indifferent look on his face and very slowly walked over to _Kagome_.

"You shouldn't pass out from this, Hiei-sama," _Kagome_ reassured with a glance to the nine-tailed Silver _Kitsune_ watching over them. The fox nodded, as if confirming something to his mate and she beamed happily. "Please hold out your right arm."

Both Hiei and Kurama stared at _Kagome_ in shock, who returned their expressions with the same secretive smile she had given Kurama before her gift to him. When she gave him an expectant look Hiei hesitantly held out his right arm. Whatever she was going to do he didn't trust one bit, as he knew his Darkness Flame was extremely dangerous, even to himself.

"Just relax." **That** was easier said than done. Kurama knew that Hiei wouldn't be able to relax when it came to his right arm and the accursed flame it bore. Surprisingly though, the nine-tailed silver fox got up with a yip and approached _Kagome_ and the Apparition. Hiei was slightly startled when the fox nudged him, his eyes widened almost imperceptibly and then he _smiled_.

"Oh... I understand." It was the first Hiei had spoken aloud in _Kagome's_ presence since the pink sphere incidents, and whatever had silently passed between him and the fox left Kurama confused. The Forbidden Child actually relaxed, though, and the _Miko-Kitsune_ placed her hands over the bandages wrapped around Hiei's arm.

This time, when she drew on her power, Kurama got to witness something of what she had done to him, only this was different. Her power was _speaking_ to the Dragon of the Darkness Flame, if that was the appropriate way to think of it, and the bandages covering the _marking_ disintegrated from Hiei's arm. The eyes of the Dragon glowed, briefly and brightly, and a look of wonderment was left on Hiei's face.

After several long moments, a more drained, but still smiling, _Kagome_ pulled her hands away and leaned against the nine-tailed fox that had moved to stand behind her for support. "Now if you don't mind, I need to rest and regather my power." She yawned, her eyes drooping closed as she swayed against the fox.

"I will show you the way out," a soft voice stated firmly, causing both of them to jump and glance in the direction of the door. There stood a small and slender man with mid-back length red hair tied back into a thick ponytail. His eyes glinted a piercing amber for a split second before settling to a vibrant purple. Their eyes, however, were drawn to the sheathed sword he carried at his hip, and the traditional style of clothing from the late 1800s he wore. "Kagome-dono needs her rest now, that she does."

Kurama felt as though he knew about the man, despite having never met him, and he could have sworn that he had stepped out of a history book of some sort. He brushed the feeling aside and got up off of the bed to follow the mysterious swordsman out into the hall, Hiei not ver far behind him. The Apparition curiously gave the nine-tailed fox a glance as they left the bedroom.

They navigated the halls in silence, and when they reached a large set of doors did the swordsman pause and look at them, a contemplative look on his face. "You should put a glamour up, Youko-dono..." If he was going to say something else, Kurama wasn't sure, and he wasn't going to even question how the man knew him. The swordsman opened the door for them and ushered them through out into the late evening.

They paused when he made a soft 'Ah...' and turned to look at him questioningly. "Curiosity is unbecoming of you, Hiei-dono." The swordsman smiled and shut the door, his comment leaving them blinking and staring at the door.

After a moment Kurama chuckled and glanced to a rather put off looking Apparition. "He's right, you know." Curiosity really didn't suit Hiei when it landed him in floating pink spheres.

"Fox..."


	3. The Girl Who Fell Through the Well

**03: **_The Girl Who Fell Through the Well_

A low, rumbling growl from behind them had them suddenly on guard, as this was a house owned by _Youkai_, and surely whatever was growling at them was of the _Youkai_ variety. Hiei was the first to turn, his sword drawn, while Kurama followed suit, a rose in hand. They froze, however, at the sight of a massive white dog, a very familiar Prussian Blue crescent moon marking the beast's forehead.

Odoriferous saliva dripped from the dog's jowls and started eating away at the ground with a hiss as soon as it landed. A poisonous mist rose from the saliva, at which both Hiei and Kurama covered their noses and mouths to keep from breathing it in. The dog growled again, but had made no move towards them at all. Was it guarding something? The house, perhaps?

"Sesshoumaru-sama is saying that you need to put your glamour up, Youko-sama." The voice came from their immediate right, but that was impossible. Nobody had come outside with them and they hadn't sensed anything, at all. Thinking of it now, they hadn't been able to sense the red-haired man that had escorted them to the front door, nor could they sense the dog. Just what was going on here?

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" The name was incredibly familiar and it struck a chord somewhere deep in Kurama. He glanced in the direction of the voice and saw yet another _Kitsune Youkai_. This one had red hair, a softer shade than the swordsman from the 1800s, and blue-green eyes. He looked like a teenager in his humanoid form, and he had a mischievous grin on his face.

"Sesshoumaru-sama of the Western Lands." Kurama blinked and looked at the dog again, only it wasn't a dog anymore, but a very tall and imposing _Daiyoukai_. Hiei had sheathed his sword by now, the Silver _Kitsune_ noted, at which he too put away his rose, and they both bowed low to the Lord.

"_Ne_, Sesshoumaru-Oji-sama, Kagome-okaa-sama brought them here," the Red _Kitsune_ stated, a grin on his lips as the _Daiyoukai_ frowned. "It's almost time, remember?"

"Escort them off of this Sesshoumaru's property, and make sure that the Fox is sufficiently glamoured, Kit." Sesshoumaru's tone was icy, matching his demeanor perfectly. The _Daiyoukai_ glided up the stairs and went past them without so much as another glance. They didn't even hear the door open or close as Sesshoumaru entered the house.

"Come on. I'll take you two back." The Red _Kitsune_ was still grinning, which was no surprise to Kurama, and led them off of the stoop. As they walked along the cobblestone path, at a pace so they could take everything in as they passed it, the Red _Kitsune_ fell in step next to Kurama. "When you get back to the Higurashi Shrine try not to interact with anyone there until after Kagome has come back through the well."

Kurama regarded the Red _Kitsune_ momentarily then nodded in understanding. They didn't really know what they were supposed to be doing, except for going back with Kagome to _Sengoku Jidai_ so they could help her. How were they even going to convince her or her family that-

_"Don't worry about it, Fox. We will know what to do when it is time for that,"_ Hiei stated in a rather cryptic tone. The Apparition knew something he didn't, and as much as he wanted to know what that something was, Hiei wasn't going to breathe a word to him until he was good and ready. _"You'll figure it out, eventually."_

That was certainly promising. Kurama scowled slightly and almost gave in to his urge to glower at the Apparition, though he knew it would do him no good. If he was going to figure it out, eventually, then there was no point in futilely needling Hiei for information. His strange new behavior only started after whatev-

"We're almost there, Youko-sama. You should put up your glamour now." Kurama paused at that, and glanced around. Had they really walked to the edge of the property already? He looked to the Red _Kitsune_, and then to Hiei, to which the Apparition chuckled.

Kurama settled for a soft scowl and put up a glamour with surprising ease. Hiei suddenly started laughing, as did the Red _Kitsune_. What was so damn funny? There wasn't a reflective surface around for him to check his appearance, but he had apparently done something wrong.

"Your hair!" What was wrong with his hair. Kurama tugged some of the strands in front of his face and his eyes widened. Bright, bubblegum pink. His hair was pink, and a ghastly shade of it at that. Why was his hair pink!?

"You, aha ha ha, need to, ha ha, focus on the, ha ha ha, exact shade!" The Red _Kitsune_ was doubled over as he attempted to contain his mirth, his amused blue-green gaze watching him.

Kurama glowered, his cheeks heating up in his embarrassment as he let the glamour fall. This time, he focused on the appearance he wanted, the one he had known for the past eighteen years of his life as Minamino Shūichi. Once he was sure that he would look like his former human body again, he attempted the glamour a second time.

Hiei quickly stopped laughing, though his expression was still very amused, and Kurama was sure that the image of him with bubblegum pink hair was something the Apparition had saved in his mind. At least a picture hadn't been taken. That would have been far more embarrassing.

"If we are quite done making fun of my unfortunate mishap, we had best be on our way." Kurama, quite miffed, walked towards where the edge of the property was. Hiei followed after him while the Red _Kitsune_ was satisfied to simply watch them leave. He waited until he sensed them pass through the special barrier his _Okaa-san_ had erected around their home to turn to a tall tree near the path.

"Did you get it?" Excitement colored his voice as he approached the tree, where a short Youkai cloaked in shadows was perched on one of the limbs. A camera was tossed down, along with a camcorder, and the Red Kitsune grinned wide. "Thanks, Hiei-sama. Kagome-okaa-san will love this."

"I would like copies, if you do not mind it, Shippō." The Apparition leapt down soundlessly, his gaze staring after his much younger and weaker self, even though that Hiei and Kurama were gone by now.

* * *

There was an unsettling feeling weighing on him, and though he couldn't pinpoint it or figure it out, the feeling vanished once they had completely passed through a rather interesting barrier. He tucked the feeling away to the back of his mind, for later dissection, and observed the barrier as it shimmered slightly before disappearing completely. They had been let out, back at the shrine, but before they had passed through the barrier it had looked as if it had led into an ongoing forest. Now, looking back at the direction they had come from, it looked nothing like what they had walked through.

The _Miko-Kitsune_ was becoming even more of a mystery with each new thing they learned, and it didn't seem like many of the answers they wanted would be forthcoming any time soon. This newest mission seemed to be much like some of their _Reikai_ missions, in that they lacked a lot of vital information, and this time it was at least for a very good reason.

_"Fox, I hear voices."_

Kurama stilled his thoughts and let his newly enhanced senses focus. He quickly, and effortlessly, heard the voices of two humans. From his estimate, they had to belong to the human family of the _Miko-Kitsune's_ younger self.

"But we've already checked the well many times!"

Checked the well...?

"But I saw Nee-chan fall in!"

That...wasn't possible. She hadn't fallen in yet, had she?

_"Fox... It is very likely that we were at that place for far longer than we realized."_ Hiei's observation made sense, and it was very likely that their sense of time must have become skewed while in that place. The barrier they had passed through was largely suspect in the time difference they were experiencing. If a day had already passed...

"Ji... Jii-chan! Souta!" That was Kagome's voice. He was sure of it. If she was back in this time, then...

_"We were there for three days."_

The truth made a cold and uneasy feeling settle into his stomach. He had been away for three days. His family must have been worried sick.

_"Fox. They're coming."_

Kurama didn't move, even as a rather dazed Kagome, garbed as a _Miko_, stepped out of the well house. An old man and a boy followed her out into the courtyard of the shrine, only to stop in confusion when Kagome did. She was looking right at them, and there was a look of shock on her face.

"I...Inuyasha?" Fear clung to her question as she looked straight at Kurama, her blue eyes wide. Kagome started to take a step back, but then a look of confusion flitted across her features and she tilted her head to one side. "You have a tail too..." There was relief in her scent, but it was brief as her gaze flicked back up to where his _Kitsune_ ears were under the glamour.

"What'cha talking 'bout, Nee-chan? He doesn't have a tail." The boy, Souta, was glancing from his sister to Kurama, who was now staring at the girl with intrigue.

_"She can see through the glamour, Fox."_

Well, he had figured that much out on his own. "Pardon us for coming at such a bad time, but we need to speak to Higurashi-sama. The matter is an urgent one." His gaze remained on Kagome, who blinked then glanced at her grandfather.

"I'm sorry, but I need to see to my granddaughter. She isn't feeling well, so if you could come back tomorrow I will be-"

"She is the one we need to speak to," Hiei cut in rather abruptly, causing the old priest to mutter something about rude young people.

"Now see he-"

"It's okay, Jii-chan. Why don't we go inside? I'm sure Mama is worried sick about me, and its better if I tell everything only once." Kagome was smiling wearily, and though she hadn't said anything to correct Souta on Kurama actually having a tail, her gaze still flicked to his hidden _Youkai_ features.

* * *

She sank deeper into the hot water, a sigh escaping her lips as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the soothing qualities. "Ah... Nothing like a hot bath..." She had sorely missed the luxury of an actual bath in the last three days, but as much as she missed it her thoughts drifted to the two _Youkai_ that had come to see her. They were still downstairs with her family, no doubt talking about everything she had told them. The _Youkai_ had seemed to believe her, while Mama, however...

"Ojii-chan... Kagome's story is..." Mama Higurashi set down the tea pot, now that everyone was served, and sat down beside the glamoured _Kitsune_.

Kurama and Hiei hadn't spoken much at all since Kagome had told them of what had transpired, three days ago. They were hardly listening to her family's chatter, and instead stuck on the bit of information pertaining to how long she had been in the past. Three days. Yet the _Miko-Kitsune_ had told them two days. Had she been mistaken?

_"I'm sure it was a mistake on her part, Fox."_ Not even a demon's memory was perfect all of the time, and she had originally been a human, which said human was upstairs enjoying a bath. They still had to talk to her, and try to convince her that she needed to go back, regardless of what was in the present.

"Higurashi-kannushi-sama..." Kurama turned his attention to the spot where the old priest had been sitting, only to discover that he was no longer present. The Silver _Kitsune_, puzzled as to how the old man had slipped away without him noticing, glanced over to Mrs. Higurashi.

"Ojii-chan went to go seal the old well up." She smiled apologetically as she refreshed Kurama's tea. "You needn't worry though. Ojii-chan is nowhere near strong enough to seal the Bone-Eater's Well up." Mrs. Higurashi said it so bluntly, he had to wonder if she actually knew anything. She left the dining room with a small smile on her face, and he could have sworn there was a knowing look in her eyes.

_"I am not able to read her mind, Fox. It is protected."_ No doubt by the much older and smarter Kagome. _"It is the same with the rest of her Ningen family members,"_ Hiei informed him, just as the stairs creaked.

Kagome descended, towel wrapped around her hair and her hands delicately rubbing the almost inky black locks dry. She came into the dining room and paused upon seeing Kurama. "Do I have to go back?" Her tone was somewhat petulant, but then again, nobody could really blame her.

"We will be accompanying you back to Sengoku Jidai, Higurashi-sama. It is quite unavoidable that you must go back, but things should go faster with our help." Both Apparition and _Kitsune_ watched her facial expression, which was so very open, carefully. She went through quite a range of emotions before resignation finally settled on her face.

"I need to talk t-"

"The well is sealed!" Grandfather Higurashi's entrance back into the dining was nowhere near as quiet as his sudden exit had been.

Kagome looked quite confused about the sudden declaration of the well being sealed, and she quickly directed her gaze to Kurama. "Sealed?"

Kurama gave a very slight shake of his head as Grandfather Higurashi started explaining how he had sealed the well. None of them seemed to be listening to the old man as Kagome once again displayed that resigned look on her face. "Go and talk with her, Higurashi-sama."

Kagome nodded and slipped out of the room, her absence going unnoticed by Grandfather Higurashi who was too engrossed in his explanation of _ofuda_. She found her mother in the kitchen preparing dinner, her favorite. "Okaa-san..."

Mama Higurashi hummed in acknowledgment and scraped the masterfully chopped vegetables into a pot of boiling soup base. The no longer needed cutting board and knife were set down by the sink and she picked up a wooden spoon to stir the vegetables.

"I..." What was she supposed to tell her mother? That she was leaving and probably wouldn't be back for a while? The words caught in her throat, refused to come out, and tears pricked at her eyes.

"I always knew you were special, Kagome. So very special, from the moment you were born." The spoon was laid down and Mama was looking at her now. There were tears in the woman's eyes, but she looked happy. "I knew this day would come, too, and I... I never wanted to believe that it would happen. Now that it has..."

Kagome listened as her mother quietly explained how she had received a strange visit from a beautiful woman on the day she, Kagome, had been born. There had been explanations and gifts, for her, given to her mother for when she started her adventures. Gifts that would come in handy. She didn't know what to make of this, except that this day had been destined to happen no matter what. With the understanding that she would be given the gifts after dinner, a dazed Kagome hugged her mother, accepting that she would be going back no matter what.


End file.
